The present invention relates to a front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle which comprises a steering member supporting a steering device provided an airbag and extending in a vehicle width direction.
In general, in a case in which a hinge pillar retreats or deforms, falling down inward, in an offset collision, a steering member joined to the hinge pillar via a side bracket tends to bend vehicle rearward with a support point located near a center stay.
This rearward bending of the steering member causes a steering device supported at the steering member to move inward in the vehicle width direction, so that there is a concern that a restraint position of a passenger with the airbag provided at the steering device may improperly move toward the inward side in the vehicle width direction. In particular, this concern becomes notable in a pole collision or a small-overlap frontal collision of the vehicle.
International Application Publication No. WO2013/108304 A1, for example, discloses a structure in which the steering member includes a weak portion provided between a driver-seat-side side bracket and a steering support portion, which is made to bend first in a vehicle frontal collision, so that the steering device can be prevented from moving inward in the vehicle width direction.
Herein, the steering member is fixed to the hinge pillar at the side bracket provided at an end portion of a beam member constituting the steering member. That is, the end portion of the steering member is fixed to the hinge pillar via the side bracket, so that a gap is generated between an end face of the beam member and the hinge pillar.
In particular, in a case in which the width (lateral length) of the steering member is set to be shorter than the width of a vehicle body, that is—the distance between attachment portions of the both-side hinge pillars where the steering member is attached in order to facilitate assembling of the steering member, one of the side brackets is arranged to contact the hinge pillar vehicle-body, and the other of the side brackets is fixed to the vehicle-body by using a fastening member having a length adjusting member, such as an adjustable nut, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-182169, for example, to diminish a gap formed between the other of the side brackets and the hinge pillar, the gap is generated between an end face of the steering member and the hinge pillar.
In a case in which the gap is generated between the end face of the beam member constituting the steering member and the hinge pillar as described above, when the driver-seat-side hinge pillar falls down inward in the vehicle frontal collision, the side bracket fixed to the hinge pillar deforms, so that the steering member slides easily toward the passenger-seat side in the vehicle width direction.
Further, in the case in which the side bracket deforms greatly, even if the steering member including the weak portion disclosed in the above-described first patent document is used, a load inputted to the steering member disperses improperly, so that the weak portion cannot be made to bend efficiently. Accordingly, there is a concern that the steering member may bend vehicle rearward, so that the steering device may move greatly inward in the vehicle width direction.